Optimistically we are through the worst of winter.  In Toronto, the sidewalks are largely bare of snow after last week's major storm and some of us may be psychically gearing up for Spring.  Beware! It's not over.  Be overdressed rather than under. Remember mother's advice.  Well, she was right.

You don't need a whole host of sophisticated equipment to stay in shape.  With very little expense you can achieve your fitness goals.  This is the philosopy of Heather, our personal trainer at Healing on the Danforth.

I came across this short video which describes perfectly the personal training sessions here.  You can come  for one on one sessions or attend small classes. 

Observation, through sight, touch and interrogation, is the essence of TCM. It is an observation on how the body feels, reacts, and looks. TCM theory has been built up over thousands of years of simply observing the course of disease in the body. It observes the body as a micro planet with cold and heat; dryness and dampness playing a role in the human body’s health. If the body is a microcosm that needs to be balanced, the TCM practitioner is the weather person observing how the balance has been upset, and how one might be able to reset that balance.

From our Tai Chi and Chi Kung teacher, Geoff Busbridge, he offers the following interesting insight and advice for those of us making New Year resolutions:

“Are you planning to take on more in your life - working out, more exercise, better diet, more hobbies?  Or are you trying to give something else up, like smoking, unhealthy eating, television or mindlessly surfing the net?

Immune tonic - homemade

Here is, as promised, the recipe for a general tonic for the immune system. Great for the long cold winter ahead. It is actually quite palatable. I was given this recipe down in Mexico where I teach shiatsu therapy. The gentle simmer takes the pungent flavour out of the mixture, so you can drink this on a daily basis and still keep all your friends!

Preferably use organic fruit and vegetables for this recipe:

On Sunday December 9th between 1 p.m and 4 p.m. we are holding an Open House.  This is part of our 10th year celebration. We would love you to join us.  Light refreshments will be served and this is an opportunity for you to see the clinic and learn what's new.

This morning I was preparing to remove leaves from the eaves-trough of my home.  I stepped outside with leaf bag in hand to the shock that the temperature were well below zero. Any excuse to procrastinate! I will leave this task until Sunday when there is forecast of a temporary increase to a balmy 10 degrees.  The reality is that winter is on the way and, along with it, increase in weather related illnesses.

Now that 2012 is almost at an end, I wonder what are the lessons for the future?  I notice that increasingly people are feeling stressed in all aspects of their lives.  We have little time to get things done and are being pressured in all directions.   We are often at a snapping point with friends, colleagues and loved ones and perhaps are feeling out of control.  In such an environment, it is becoming difficult to slow down to smell the proverbial roses.

Dr. Robert Salter was a Stratford-born Canadian world renowned orthopedic surgeon whose medical research at the University of Toronto helped change the traditionally accepted treatment of injured joints.  For many years the accepted treatment was immobilisation.  In 1970, Salter realised that joint cartilage was not stimulated to either heal or regenerate.  He discovered the benefits to the joints of continuous passive motion (CPM).

This week I am teaching a class in stress management at Centennial College here in Toronto.  I always love the opportunity to talk to students and give them some perspective on a very important subject.  At the same time, as much as I would like to admit to the contrary, I often experience feeling stressed.  So I always find the preparation of my lecture a useful reminder of things on which I should focus my own attention.